The bunny and the bear stared in horror as rabbit after tiny rabbit was crushed beneath those strong mandibles, with green acid leaking from it's terrifying mouth. It's black bulgy skin made the contrast to it's orange shiny face all the more pronounced, which doesn't really help when that face is ripping apart tiny rabbit bodies.
The giant caterpillar seemed to have just noticed them as it froze up in surprise just as another butterfly dropped a screaming rabbit into it's maw.
A second past.
Then two.
Suddenly the giant caterpillar started seizing up, spraying green gloupy acid everywhere. Already panicking, the two girls tried to run back the way they came only to see it swarming with violet butterflies. Apparently sensing something wrong, the violet butterflies rushed the poor girls, engulfing them before they could react. There were hundreds of them working together to lift the girls up in rather unflattering positions. The butterflies carried them over the bubbling green pits, and even an idiot could see that it was going to be deadly.
"Panini, I'm sorry it's going to end this way." Sera said, with tears starting to reform in her eyes.
"Awww, I love you too" Panini was all too smug, even as they were about to drop to their doom.
At that moment, the giant caterpillar shook one more time and spat out the tiny rabbit skeleton which was caught in it's throat. It rubbed it's mandibles together. "WAIT!!!" It boomed.
The butterflies unceremoniously dropped the girls in a heap beside the pool. They both quickly brushed themselves off and stared at the great hideous beast with wide eyes.
"I can see that you both have found my lair..."
Sera was wondering why it paused, when she realized it was probably waiting for them to respond.
"Yes, we.....got lost."
"Highly doubtful, seeing as how there is only one entrance and exit."
'Wow, quite polite for a hideous monster'
Sera quickly rushed to answer, "I meant that we couldn't find our way out."
"That's fine by me, in fact I don't mind showing you the way out, but unfortunately we have a problem."
'Uh oh...here we go.'
"You see earlier, one of my kin has told me that one of you has been killing off all our food supplies" Sera glared at Panini, "and unfortunately we're going to need to restock. Fortunately for you, there's a coven of shadow rabbits just the tunnel yonder and I'll be willing to show you the way out if you can bring me sayyyy 200 of them?"
ಠ_ಠ *Ting*
You have been offered a Quest!Food for the ButterfliesRank ECompletion0/200*You have been asked by the Butterfly Prince to feed his family of butterflies. Please bring at least 200 living shadow rabbits to the Prince's chambers.
Rewards: -A way out of the dungeon.
- A special item if you exceed the prince's expectations
Seeing the quest, Sera wanted to hurl. She had to sacrifice more of her kind to this....this...thing? As if Panini's slaughter wasn't enough, now she had to give them up herself? Never! Make jokes at the expense of Derrik's masculinity all you want, but he would never hurt a small cute animal. He didn't care if it was a request from some giant worm king, he was going to refuse, maybe get Panini to lazer his slimy ass.
*Ting*
Phantom Teddy Bear's party has accepted the quest
"PANINI!!!!" ..."
"Good good, now I'll have a couple of my brood lead you to there!"
As a couple butterflies motioned for the girls to follow them, Sera was muttering to Panini under her breath.
"Why did you have to accept the quest, how many more will have to die before you're happy!"
"Hey, I killed them all in the first place, so I have to take responsibility and replenish the stock right? Besides, it's our only way out." Panini replied a bit too smugly "Oh, and I thought you said you were going to call me Phanny while in game"
'Sera will remember your arrogance, and may god save you cause I sure as hell won't' Slowly, but steadily, Sera or more accurately Derrik was slowly changing, his speech and thoughts lowering themselves to that of a delusional 8th grader.
"Alright we're here!" Panini exclaimed as she stepped into the clearing. Sera's jaws dropped, although they were in a cave, there was grass growing everywhere, and the walls and rocks were completely covered in moss. But the main attraction made the indoor greenery pale in comparison, as everywhere they looked, there were black rabbits of all sizes frolicking and playing around. One of the larger ones bounded up towards Sera and rubbed her foot.
"Are you our mommy?" Stricken by the incredibly cute voice that piped up from the little bundle of black fur, Sera was too shocked to speak.
"You can talk?" Panini who wasn't as susceptible to the cuteness cut in.
"Only if we grow past 2 moons, I'm one of the oldest here!" Not even knowing exactly how long two moons were, Sera knew it couldn't have been an especially long, and it absolutely broke her heart.
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.
*** Sera's POV
Smirking, Panini elbowed me.
"Hey, you should totally tell them that you are their mom and lead them to the Caterpillar."
"What? Never!" I was appalled at her outrageous idea, I would never be apart of such...such genocide.
"C'monnnn, we need 200 of them anyways, and if you do this, we'll save like 100 trips."
I knew she was right, and that I had no choice, but I didn't want it to have to be this way. Keeping my face as collected as possible as I was already on the verge of tears,
...Again
I smiled and told the young rabbit "Yes, and I've come to bring you all back home with me."
"Really? I have to tell the others" The little rabbit ran off and pretty soon, a giant gathering of black rabbits all convened in front of her.
So trusting....so naive. She couldn't help but smile at their energy even as her heart was being torn to pieces with emotion for what she was about to do.
"Alright everyone, follow me!"
And with that she lead them all back to the Caterpillar Prince's Lair. The giant bulbous insect laughed.
"So you've returned, and with much more than the 200 I've asked of you, very well, I'll have my kin lead you out of this place, muhehehehe" He snapped his mandibles as if in anticipation for the feast.
"Momma, what is this place?....Momma?" The little black rabbit from before asked quizzically, but as he looked toward where his "mother" was, he just saw the heels of two girls, leaving the tunnel.
My eyes started flowing again,as a notification just popped up.
Quest Complete
One of the butterflies also handed me a jar filled with bright yellow liquid, complimets of the prince apparently .
Royal JellyType:CondimentDurability:10/ 10Quality:ADon't ask where the jelly came from.
Ew...we're almost nearing the exit, and I thought I could get away without any more trauma to my heart, but as we were almost out of earshot of the Prince's chambers, it started....
People often wondered what kind of noises rabbits made, whether they could cry, laugh, yell, and if you had the choice, you'd never want to hear a rabbit scream. My vision became watery again as we headed out, ignoring the death throes of thousands of my kin.
*Ping*
The Champions of Nyxramas are amused by your cruelty.
Cruel? I guess that's what I am now, I'm a monster.
**POV end
*Ping*
You are rewarded for your performance.
A large sword like object appeared in front of her, it was completely black and had no edge, if anything it looked like a very long black cone with a handle. Clasping it in her hand, it felt dirty, as if it were staining her very soul.
Black Widows StingerType:NeedleDurability:100/ 100Quality:BPiercing Damage: 33-54.
Blunt Damage: 10-12
She stared at the item, thinking how fitting it was. Her the betrayer, and maybe it was the constant emotional trauma, or maybe it was the fact that someone out there was enjoying her pain, but something inside Sera broke that day, was it her humanity, her hope in humanity, or something else precious? No. It was her apathy, for once in her life, Sera (Derrik) finally had a clear goal in mind.
For barely any effort, for betraying thousands who trusted her, she was rewarded for amusing some sort of NPC?!
A dark rage started to bloom within her heart, burning away the sadness, the guilt, the self loathing, turning into an insatiable desire to make rights for the crimes she has commited.
She looked back to where the Caterpillar Prince was enjoying his spoils and past the ceiling to the skies above where the Champions may reside, and she swore.
'I will never forgive you, not any of you. I will return, and when I do ...I will kill you...I WILL KILL YOU ALL"